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Sep 8, 2011
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in the years since 9/11, american forces paid a tremendous price in iraq and afghanistan, in lives and livelihoods. until only a few years ago veterans had to fight another battle at home trying to get access to the benefits that they were promised. too many veterans are still fighting for adequate funding and access to quality health care services that they have earned. as one veteran said, the day this nation stops taking care of her veterans is the day this nation should stop creating them, and i couldn't agree more. montanans are reminded that some out there are willing to invade our privacy in the the name of security and freedom. measures like the patriot act which i oppose forfeit basic freedoms. some lawmakers aren't stopping there. in the house a bill called the national security and federal lands protection act would allow the department of homeland security to waive laws and seize control of public lands within 100 miles of the border. even if that means closing off grazing lands, shuttering national parks and trampling on the rights of praoeufpt landowners. that -- private
in the years since 9/11, american forces paid a tremendous price in iraq and afghanistan, in lives and livelihoods. until only a few years ago veterans had to fight another battle at home trying to get access to the benefits that they were promised. too many veterans are still fighting for adequate funding and access to quality health care services that they have earned. as one veteran said, the day this nation stops taking care of her veterans is the day this nation should stop creating them,...
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Mar 3, 2011
03/11
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support, but -- [applause] but all in all, it's not much money compared to what we are spending on afghanistan at the moment. >> congressman, any thoughts? >> it's just a difficult time. one of the budgets proposed as an alternatives at the end by one of my colleagues from tennessee was that we should cut across the board, but not cut defense, not cut social security, not cut medicare, and not cut israel. you know, i think that hurts israel to be separated. i think we need to have support for all of the nations and support our state department, and i'm afraid what that was was simply a basis at the campaign contributions that must come from folks who support such thing, and that's not a good way to deal with your budget or ideally deal with israel, so i think as congressman woolsley said, there's a report released that we're going to lose 700,000 jobs. another report said 1 million jobs and hurt the economy by 2%, and the truth of the matter is that's what the budget was about. it was about seeing to it that the economy is not in good shape and barak obama loses in 2012. don't ever think that
support, but -- [applause] but all in all, it's not much money compared to what we are spending on afghanistan at the moment. >> congressman, any thoughts? >> it's just a difficult time. one of the budgets proposed as an alternatives at the end by one of my colleagues from tennessee was that we should cut across the board, but not cut defense, not cut social security, not cut medicare, and not cut israel. you know, i think that hurts israel to be separated. i think we need to have...
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Nov 15, 2011
11/11
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why are we still in afghanistan? and for how much longer? let me answer. we are there to prevent afghanistan from ever again being used as a base from which to launch attacks on this country or our allies. and, of course, people say you cannot make progress in afghanistan without tackling terrorism and the deep-seated problems in pakistan. and they are right. that is why we are squeezing the problem of terrorism from both sides of the durand line. and al qaeda has been streets and weekend with the death of bin laden and so many of its senior leadership in the tribal belt of pakistan. terrorism feeds on broken countries, so our response must go far beyond tackling the leadership of terrorist groups. that is why pakistan is set to become the biggest recipient of british aid. it is also why we have been engaging at every level, not just politicians but security and military chiefs as well. we are now reaching the point when the afghans can secure their own country for themselves. that is why i have been very clear, and i repeat here tonight, by the end of 201
why are we still in afghanistan? and for how much longer? let me answer. we are there to prevent afghanistan from ever again being used as a base from which to launch attacks on this country or our allies. and, of course, people say you cannot make progress in afghanistan without tackling terrorism and the deep-seated problems in pakistan. and they are right. that is why we are squeezing the problem of terrorism from both sides of the durand line. and al qaeda has been streets and weekend with...
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Nov 28, 2011
11/11
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and afghanistan forces in southern afghanistan in 2009. in fact, "newsweek" reported that roadside bomb teams under his direction have caused more than half of nato's 160 deaths in afghanistan in the first five months of this year. there are other examples as well. example after example after example of detainees who have been released from guantanamo and who have been returned to the fight. mr. president, we need a permanent provision to deal with the recidivism threat. as hopeful as i am that the national defense authorization bill will be passed each and every year, and if there is a grave record of the armed services committee in that regard, there is no guarantee that the legislation will be passed by the congress and signed into law by the president. in fact, we're already three months into this fiscal year and we are vehicles from having a defense authorization bill signed into law despite the heroic efforts of the leaders of the armed services committee. ten years after these wars have begun, it is clear that when we transfer detai
and afghanistan forces in southern afghanistan in 2009. in fact, "newsweek" reported that roadside bomb teams under his direction have caused more than half of nato's 160 deaths in afghanistan in the first five months of this year. there are other examples as well. example after example after example of detainees who have been released from guantanamo and who have been returned to the fight. mr. president, we need a permanent provision to deal with the recidivism threat. as hopeful as...
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Jun 6, 2011
06/11
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and congress has authorized the use of military force in iraq, afghanistan and against al qaeda. we've authorized. we haven't in libya, but we have in those instances. and so the department of justice, for which i was honored to be a member for 15 years as a federal prosecutor and united states attorney in alabama for 12, really loved that great department, believe in it deeply, am troubled by the extent to which it's being led by people who have a unwise understanding of the nature of the struggle that we're in. and one of the ways this plays itself out is to conclude that an al qaeda person, if bin laden hadn't been killed, presumably, he was presumptively to be tried in civilian courts like a normal criminal. but under the rules of war, under the rules and history of the united states, under our constitution and laws, it's perfectly permissible to capture an enemy combatant who's threatening you and to put them in jail and detain them just like all prisoners of wars have been detained until the conflict is over. you don't give them a trial. they are not entitled to lawyers. th
and congress has authorized the use of military force in iraq, afghanistan and against al qaeda. we've authorized. we haven't in libya, but we have in those instances. and so the department of justice, for which i was honored to be a member for 15 years as a federal prosecutor and united states attorney in alabama for 12, really loved that great department, believe in it deeply, am troubled by the extent to which it's being led by people who have a unwise understanding of the nature of the...
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May 10, 2011
05/11
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jones came from pakistan, not afghanistan. the regional epicenter of terrorism is not afghanistan. it's highly unlikely that we would see a terrorist attack on the united states emanating from afghanistan. the risk is somewhat different. it's that instability of afghanistan contributes to a regional pattern of instability and that can undermine the stability of pakistan and that can significantly raise the threat. and it isn't just the threat of terrorism. it's also the threat of nuclear confrontation with india, of state collapse and a variety of other problems associated with changes in the security environment in pakistan. so i think the chances that al-qaeda, for example, would move back to afghanistan and set up a base, if we were to leave, are relatively slim. what's more than likely is that there would be increased asset available to both the pakistani and afghan taliban. there would be increased alliance for those groups and terrorist organizations. there would be a much higher level of instability in pakistan and that could potentially lead to all these negative consequenc
jones came from pakistan, not afghanistan. the regional epicenter of terrorism is not afghanistan. it's highly unlikely that we would see a terrorist attack on the united states emanating from afghanistan. the risk is somewhat different. it's that instability of afghanistan contributes to a regional pattern of instability and that can undermine the stability of pakistan and that can significantly raise the threat. and it isn't just the threat of terrorism. it's also the threat of nuclear...
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Nov 22, 2011
11/11
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as afghanistan is concerned? >> i think stability in afghanistan has a number of factors. obviously, the safe haven that some of the insur gents enjoy in pakistan is a contributing factor, there are several other variables to be addressed by the government of afghanistan and the afghan security forces with our support, and i'd say that the pakistan and afghanistan leadership are involved at all levels in healthy dialogue. i certainly see it with the military leaders that i work with, and as i mentioned, the regional board of coordination meeting that the afghan board of police led with the 11th corp. of the pakistan military, and so i think the two countries are in dialogue, and they have a lot of respect for each other, and i know you understand fully that during the soviet eras, there was a lot of the leaders here in afghanistan that were protected in pakistan, and they have never forgotten that, so the two countries clearly have a lot of commonground that they lean on. >> general, this is sort of a -- sort of
as afghanistan is concerned? >> i think stability in afghanistan has a number of factors. obviously, the safe haven that some of the insur gents enjoy in pakistan is a contributing factor, there are several other variables to be addressed by the government of afghanistan and the afghan security forces with our support, and i'd say that the pakistan and afghanistan leadership are involved at all levels in healthy dialogue. i certainly see it with the military leaders that i work with, and...
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Sep 8, 2011
09/11
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pakistan has now become the main threat to afghanistan. pakistan's intelligence service is the biggest danger to the afghan government. pakistan also poses a tremendous threat to the lives of american troops, and let me be clear, many americans died in afghanistan because of pakistan's i.s.i. sitting in our commanders' briefs for two weeks and talking to our headquarter's leaders and spending a few days in the field, it became clear to me that if we were working in afghanistan alone, we would have had a much better chance to turn that country around more quickly, restoring it to its status as an agricultural economy with a loose government and a high degree of autonomy given to each tribe or region, but we are not alone. while our military reduced al qaeda and afghanistan to a shadow of its former shadow, a new force is emerging. on the tenth anniversary of 9/11, al qaeda, i must report, is still armed and dangerous, but it is far less numerous or capable than it once was, but al qaeda is not the most potent force that is arrayed against u
pakistan has now become the main threat to afghanistan. pakistan's intelligence service is the biggest danger to the afghan government. pakistan also poses a tremendous threat to the lives of american troops, and let me be clear, many americans died in afghanistan because of pakistan's i.s.i. sitting in our commanders' briefs for two weeks and talking to our headquarter's leaders and spending a few days in the field, it became clear to me that if we were working in afghanistan alone, we would...
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May 26, 2011
05/11
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i don't expect general petraeus to publicly discuss the details of every troop movement in afghanistan any more than early americans expected george washington to publish his strategy for the battle of yorktown. by the same token, american citizens recognize that their government may sometimes rely on secret intelligence collection methods in order to ensure national security, in order to ensure the safety of the american people, and they recognize that these methods can often be more effective when specifics are kept secret. but while americans recognize that government agencies sometimes rely on secret sources and methods to collect intelligence information, americans also expect that these agencies will cooperate at all times within the boundaries of publicly understood law. now, i have served on the senate intelligence committee for a decade and i don't take a back seat to anybody when it comes to protecting what are essential sources and methods that are needed to keep the american people safe when intelligence is being gathered, but i don't believe the law should ever be kept sec
i don't expect general petraeus to publicly discuss the details of every troop movement in afghanistan any more than early americans expected george washington to publish his strategy for the battle of yorktown. by the same token, american citizens recognize that their government may sometimes rely on secret intelligence collection methods in order to ensure national security, in order to ensure the safety of the american people, and they recognize that these methods can often be more effective...
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Sep 7, 2011
09/11
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what is the objective in afghanistan? to make afghanistan say so that they stop plotting to kill us there. -- safe so that that, plotting to cause there. that could be six years from now. just like the cold war. we should remain in afghanistan, in iraq, and in that part of world until people in that part of the world, significant numbers of people, stop trying to figure out how to kill americans. [applause] >> your referenced this in the beginning of your speech. mayor bloomberg decided that no religious leaders would participate in the ground zero ceremony on sunday. would you have come to the same decision? >> i respect mayor bloomberg very much and i appreciate what a good mayor he has been because i worked very hard to reform the new york city and i'll worried intensely my last year in office said that would be changed by another machine politician taking over and ruining the welfare reform program and hundreds of others. mary bloomberg has carried them on and improve them. -- mayor bloomberg has carried them on an im
what is the objective in afghanistan? to make afghanistan say so that they stop plotting to kill us there. -- safe so that that, plotting to cause there. that could be six years from now. just like the cold war. we should remain in afghanistan, in iraq, and in that part of world until people in that part of the world, significant numbers of people, stop trying to figure out how to kill americans. [applause] >> your referenced this in the beginning of your speech. mayor bloomberg decided...
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Mar 1, 2011
03/11
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, four hours of the war in afghanistan. america, we should be proud of the corporation for public broadcasting. we go toe to toe with the b.b.c. the b.b.c. funds -- great britain funds 100% of the bbc. we fund 15% of public broadcasting. but now they want to zero it out, a vendetta against elmo. they have a vendetta against health reform. and, you know, the president is right. in our bill we say, the states can do another plan. let's push that up to 2014. don't go back to the days when 62% of all bankruptcy were linked to a health care crisis. madam president, how much time do i have? the presiding officer: a minute and 45 seconds. mrs. boxer: they have a vendetta against clean energy. i guess they want to keep dependence on foreign oil. we will, i don't and my people don't and we don't enjoy $5-a-gallon gas, which is where it is heading -- maybe. -- because of the unrest in the middle east. we need alternatives, clean cars, cars that go 50-60 miles a gallon or don't need any gas at all. oh, they cut that. and they cut head
, four hours of the war in afghanistan. america, we should be proud of the corporation for public broadcasting. we go toe to toe with the b.b.c. the b.b.c. funds -- great britain funds 100% of the bbc. we fund 15% of public broadcasting. but now they want to zero it out, a vendetta against elmo. they have a vendetta against health reform. and, you know, the president is right. in our bill we say, the states can do another plan. let's push that up to 2014. don't go back to the days when 62% of...
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Sep 8, 2011
09/11
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the investment in intelligence as well as in iraq and afghanistan has been very significant. as we wind down in iraq and looking at afghanistan we have to make sure we are able to have the capabilities that will ensure that the investment that was made is going to allow us to do what we can to work with our partners, the iraqi government and afghan government and whatever. this is where jim clapper's role is important. he needs to look into the intelligence community and make sure there's no unnecessary redundancy. you need to have redundancy but it needs to be thoughtful and delivered as opposed to a necessary. you have to look at some of these big ticket items. the technical programs. what we need to do is make sure we are focused on not the capability but what is it we are trying to accomplish? make sure we are able to achieve those missions irrespective of platforms or the capability. and sometimes we know that congress has certain pet project that agencies have pet project. we need to make sure that they are useful, meaningful, important and necessary for the mission ahe
the investment in intelligence as well as in iraq and afghanistan has been very significant. as we wind down in iraq and looking at afghanistan we have to make sure we are able to have the capabilities that will ensure that the investment that was made is going to allow us to do what we can to work with our partners, the iraqi government and afghan government and whatever. this is where jim clapper's role is important. he needs to look into the intelligence community and make sure there's no...
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Nov 18, 2011
11/11
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it recommends the most component long term of stabilizing afghanistan. they cannot do it alone. there has to be political will and capacity. but as we develop this military force, we also have to think ahead about how we are not alone but together with our allies going to ensure that it's properly resourced in order to be a contributing factor in the stability of afghanistan. this year once again i also had the privilege of serving as the chairman alongside senator wicker, who i want to thank for his contribution to the legislation. the committee is focused on the needs of the navy, strategic mobile forces. the subcommittee put particular emphasis on supporting marine and naval forces engaged in combat operations, improving efficiencies and applying the savings to higher-priority programs. the subcommittee specifically included -- required funding -- or requested funding for two virginia-class submarines, the aircraft carrier replacement program, the ddg-51 aegis program, rhetorical combat ship program, the lhar amphibious assault ship, the mobile landing platform and the p-8 ma
it recommends the most component long term of stabilizing afghanistan. they cannot do it alone. there has to be political will and capacity. but as we develop this military force, we also have to think ahead about how we are not alone but together with our allies going to ensure that it's properly resourced in order to be a contributing factor in the stability of afghanistan. this year once again i also had the privilege of serving as the chairman alongside senator wicker, who i want to thank...
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Dec 1, 2011
12/11
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the moneys were spent in afghanistan. the vast majority is about personnel to train the afghan military, to train the afghanistan police department to fight the rifts that are there,e areas near pakistan, all of that remains. a very small percentage of this will be pulled, but it should be pulled and it should be pulled today, and we should take this investment and put it in roads and bridges right here in our country. i hope that this amendment will have success when we look at the appropriations process. i think it's time that we stop this funding and stop it now, and i thank you, mr. president, and yield the floor. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from new mexico. mr. bingaman: mr. president, i want to take a few minutes to commend dr. donald berwick for his service as administrator of the centers for medicare and medicaid services, and also to express my deep disappointment that his nomination was blocked by a minority of senators. c.m.s., the centers for medicare and medicaid services, c.m
the moneys were spent in afghanistan. the vast majority is about personnel to train the afghan military, to train the afghanistan police department to fight the rifts that are there,e areas near pakistan, all of that remains. a very small percentage of this will be pulled, but it should be pulled and it should be pulled today, and we should take this investment and put it in roads and bridges right here in our country. i hope that this amendment will have success when we look at the...
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Dec 15, 2011
12/11
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soldiers, sailors, air men and marines on the ground in afghanistan. while there are issues on which we may disagree, we all know that we must provide our troops the support they need as long as they remain in harm's way. the enactment of this conference report will improve the quality of life for our men and women in uniform, it will give them the tools that they need to remain the most effective fighting force in the world. most important of all, it will send an important message that we as a nation stand behind our troops and we deeply appreciate their service. in conclusion, i would once again like to thank senator mccain, all of our members, majority and minority staff led by rick debobus and dave morris for their hard work on this bill. we could not have done this without them. i ask unanimous consent, mr. president, that a full list of our majority and minority staff who gave so much of themselves and their families be included in the record at this point. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. levin: mr. president, i yield th
soldiers, sailors, air men and marines on the ground in afghanistan. while there are issues on which we may disagree, we all know that we must provide our troops the support they need as long as they remain in harm's way. the enactment of this conference report will improve the quality of life for our men and women in uniform, it will give them the tools that they need to remain the most effective fighting force in the world. most important of all, it will send an important message that we as a...
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Mar 8, 2011
03/11
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iraq and afghanistan need to come to an end, and those savings will be dramatic. america cannot continue to have a growth economy where we spend so much more than any other nation on our national defense. we have to protect the people of this nation but we can't take the burdens of the world. there has to be adequate burden sharing among our allies, bringing savings to the u.s. taxpayer. in entitlement spending, yes, we need to bring down costs. i think we taobgd a may -- took a major step toward doing this in the affordable care act. one of the areas where i agree with some of my republican friends who are citing krao*eut krao*eut -- who are criticizing the congressional budget office we're going to get more savings than what the congressional budget office has estimated. i am convinced that when you deal with people in preventive health care, use better information technology where you manage people's diseases, where you deal with readmissions so people understand what they need to do to stay healthy, when you put that together, when you expand our community hea
iraq and afghanistan need to come to an end, and those savings will be dramatic. america cannot continue to have a growth economy where we spend so much more than any other nation on our national defense. we have to protect the people of this nation but we can't take the burdens of the world. there has to be adequate burden sharing among our allies, bringing savings to the u.s. taxpayer. in entitlement spending, yes, we need to bring down costs. i think we taobgd a may -- took a major step...
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Oct 17, 2011
10/11
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simply put white iraq it is a tough fight in afghanistan. we can only succeed if we bring all elements of our smart power approach to bear. defense, development, diplomacy in a coordinated fashion. no one would have understood the complex challenges we have today and the complex responses they necessitate more than the person whose name graces this medal, george marshall. a general in the war, more than any other single individual he built the postwar peace through the marshall plan as the secretary of state. the plan that he enunciated in 1947 stabilized western europe. he understood economic growth was vital in building stable democracies, and that growth required investment. $13 billion was pumped into 17 countries over a forger period including our former adversaries germany and italy. our military and those of our allies won the war the marshall plan won the peace. the cost was very high, the lives in the war, the dollars in peace. that $13 billion translates to about $120 billion now. after sacrificing during the war americans were ask
simply put white iraq it is a tough fight in afghanistan. we can only succeed if we bring all elements of our smart power approach to bear. defense, development, diplomacy in a coordinated fashion. no one would have understood the complex challenges we have today and the complex responses they necessitate more than the person whose name graces this medal, george marshall. a general in the war, more than any other single individual he built the postwar peace through the marshall plan as the...
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Jul 22, 2011
07/11
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the current inventory is getting old and worn down from iraq and afghanistan. some equipment can be refurbished with life extension programs, but there is no getting around the fact that others must be replaced. when it comes to our military modernization accounts, he said the proverbial low-lying or low-hanging fruit, those weapons and other programs considered most questionable have not only been plucked, they have been stomped on and crushed. what remains are much-needed capabilities relating to our air superiority, our mobility, long-range strike, nuclear deterrents, maritime access, space and cyberwarfare, ground forces, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance that our nation's civilian and military leadership deemed absolutely critical. and he gave examples of a new tanker. he noted the ones we have are twice as old as many of the pilots who are flying them. a new generation strike fighter, the f-35. he said we have got to build more ships. the size of the navy has sunk to the lowest number since prior to world war ii. the army and marines, doing th
the current inventory is getting old and worn down from iraq and afghanistan. some equipment can be refurbished with life extension programs, but there is no getting around the fact that others must be replaced. when it comes to our military modernization accounts, he said the proverbial low-lying or low-hanging fruit, those weapons and other programs considered most questionable have not only been plucked, they have been stomped on and crushed. what remains are much-needed capabilities...
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May 3, 2011
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personnel in afghanistan is on al-qaeda. the operation continues. the july 2011 transition date for the beginning of a drawdown remains very much in place. the pace of that drawdown will be determined by conditions on the ground. >> a final question, any updates on the plans to release video or images? >> i don't have any updates on that except to echo what john brennan said this morning, which is that we're obviously reviewing information. we've made a great deal available to the public in remarkable time. we're talking about the most highly classified operation that this government has undertaken in many, many years. and the amount of information we tried to provide to you in this short period of time is quite substantial. we will continue to review that and make decisions about the appropriateness in of releasing more information as that review continues on. >> the pakistani government put out a statement which said the isi has been providing information about the compound since 2009. whereas, all we know about it in terms of the media is that we
personnel in afghanistan is on al-qaeda. the operation continues. the july 2011 transition date for the beginning of a drawdown remains very much in place. the pace of that drawdown will be determined by conditions on the ground. >> a final question, any updates on the plans to release video or images? >> i don't have any updates on that except to echo what john brennan said this morning, which is that we're obviously reviewing information. we've made a great deal available to the...
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Jul 25, 2011
07/11
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you could pull out of iraq, afghanistan and southwest asia tomorrow. you could end up eliminating all congressional earmarks and you could eliminate all foreign aid which people think is a big number but it's not, that's about 15 to 20% of the problem. the government has grown too big, promised too much, waited too long to restructure. yes, we're going to have to have more revenues as compared to historical levels but we need to go about it in an intelligent way that will make our system fairer, more equitable, more comparative and it will promote job growth and promote innovation. last i think this, on the comeback america initiative, preemptive framework, there's an additional $500 billion for critical investments over the next two years in order to help the economic recovery and to deal with unemployment. nonetheless, the net spending reductions over the next 10 years are over 3 trillion. so, yes, we need to do some things to make sure we recover and get unemployment down but if we don't end up putting our finances in order we're going to have much
you could pull out of iraq, afghanistan and southwest asia tomorrow. you could end up eliminating all congressional earmarks and you could eliminate all foreign aid which people think is a big number but it's not, that's about 15 to 20% of the problem. the government has grown too big, promised too much, waited too long to restructure. yes, we're going to have to have more revenues as compared to historical levels but we need to go about it in an intelligent way that will make our system...
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Mar 2, 2011
03/11
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we really don't have total control of iraq and partial control of afghanistan. it goes on and on. but the question i have is, isn't there a limit to supporting these dictators? and i, of course, take a position which the least involvement the better and deal with people on different terms rather than saying, you know, we'll buy our friends. i think a friend bought is not a friend. i think a friend that is coerced by military power is not a friend and breeds resentment. but what would be wrong with swearing off support for and aid for all dictators? just think of what might happen in the middle east. if you did that -- i mean, here we've supported egypt. >> you can see the rest of the testimony by secretary of state clinton testifying before the house foreign affairs committee. it's available on our website at c-span.org. she's also appearing this morning before the senate foreign relations committee on the fiscal year 2012 budget for foreign affairs. that's just getting underway this morning on capitol hill. you can see it on c-span3. the u.s. senate about to gavel in to start the
we really don't have total control of iraq and partial control of afghanistan. it goes on and on. but the question i have is, isn't there a limit to supporting these dictators? and i, of course, take a position which the least involvement the better and deal with people on different terms rather than saying, you know, we'll buy our friends. i think a friend bought is not a friend. i think a friend that is coerced by military power is not a friend and breeds resentment. but what would be wrong...
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Feb 28, 2011
02/11
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how long has louie bergeer been working in afghanistan? >> i believe quite some time. >> i believe from the beginning. louie berger cut as deal with the government. as you said they did some pretty outrageous things, correct. >> yes, sir. >> let me add, i was just in afghanistan, afghani do you know who he is. >> yes. >> he is the former minister of finance who is also the top advisor to president karzai on the transition. he was once again outspoken about just one company, louie berger. and he has been publicly are and privately for years. at what point do you decide that louie berger is part of the problem in afghanistan and not part of the solution? well,. >> well, sir we have the administrative agreement in sfas, anyone looking at their past performance that is in there and we'll learn the terms of their previous wrongdoing. as far as it relates to their performance, i, am hesitant because i don't want my comments to appear in any way defending louie berger. clearly we have had problems with them in the past. i recognize that previousl
how long has louie bergeer been working in afghanistan? >> i believe quite some time. >> i believe from the beginning. louie berger cut as deal with the government. as you said they did some pretty outrageous things, correct. >> yes, sir. >> let me add, i was just in afghanistan, afghani do you know who he is. >> yes. >> he is the former minister of finance who is also the top advisor to president karzai on the transition. he was once again outspoken about...
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Mar 9, 2011
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we also went into afghanistan in an attempt to catch osama bin laden. when he was surrounded, our c.i.a. and special forces were yanked out of afghanistan to go into iraq and he simply escaped into pakistan. $1 trillion later, we're still there. again, borrowed the money for those two wars, one that went way beyond whatever it was supposed to do, the other one we shouldn't have been in the first place, but we borrowed the money, and we also cut taxes on oil companies and millionaires and everybody else. not the best way to show shared hardships for that war. it's only the brave men and women who are over there who have the hardship, not the rest of us. and this -- when -- let me talk, though, about how the senate c.r. and h.r. 1, how that funding would affect the debt -- the department of state and foreign operations. these both come under a subcommittee that i chair in appropriations. let's talk about what's in the house c.r. -- perhaps most importantly, what's not in the house c.r. international development is nonsecurity spending, even though the int
we also went into afghanistan in an attempt to catch osama bin laden. when he was surrounded, our c.i.a. and special forces were yanked out of afghanistan to go into iraq and he simply escaped into pakistan. $1 trillion later, we're still there. again, borrowed the money for those two wars, one that went way beyond whatever it was supposed to do, the other one we shouldn't have been in the first place, but we borrowed the money, and we also cut taxes on oil companies and millionaires and...
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Nov 1, 2011
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airport as our returning soldiers came back from being in iraq and afghanistan. and they want jobs, and the president's initiative says, look, let's make sure we have jobs for our returning soldiers. all that means that we're going to create more jobs. and the joint committee needs to make sure that in its recommendations that we have the wherewithal to move this nation forward by creating jobs. the president's proposal has been evaluated by independent economists. mark zandi, who was senator mccain's economic advisor in his presidential campaign, points out that the president's proposal would increase our gross domestic product by 2% and create 1.9 million additional jobs. and the president's proposal is completely paid for, so it adds nothing to the deficit. now, i must tell you, if we're going to be able to balance our budget, if we're tpw-g to be -- going to be able to get our budget into better shape, we have to have more jobs. less people using governmental services, more people paying revenues or taxes into our system. the more people that are working, the
airport as our returning soldiers came back from being in iraq and afghanistan. and they want jobs, and the president's initiative says, look, let's make sure we have jobs for our returning soldiers. all that means that we're going to create more jobs. and the joint committee needs to make sure that in its recommendations that we have the wherewithal to move this nation forward by creating jobs. the president's proposal has been evaluated by independent economists. mark zandi, who was senator...
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Sep 20, 2011
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speaker boehner and majority leader cantor rush to fund rebuilding in iraq and afghanistan and didn't require offsets when we went into war in this rebuilding effort, but now we have to stop and debate for weeks and months over finding the proper offsets. so i hope people will let their voices be heard in the next couple of days. it's very important. now, we had a very important vote on the floor of the senate last week, and we don't often have bipartisan cooperation, but i want to thank by name the ten republican senators that helped on this effort because they said party politics is important and sometimes party politics dictates the way that i should look and vote and feel, but not on this because this is disaster aid that's either going to my state or potentially, in senator rubio's case who has known what disasters are like in florida, said it could happen, he told me, senator landrieu. and if it happens to florida, i most certainly want to come back here and ask the nation to help and not have to be engaged in the debate of finding an offset. i would rather be working with my ma
speaker boehner and majority leader cantor rush to fund rebuilding in iraq and afghanistan and didn't require offsets when we went into war in this rebuilding effort, but now we have to stop and debate for weeks and months over finding the proper offsets. so i hope people will let their voices be heard in the next couple of days. it's very important. now, we had a very important vote on the floor of the senate last week, and we don't often have bipartisan cooperation, but i want to thank by...
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Jul 25, 2011
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part -- the other factor is that we are now drawing down the cost of our military efforts in afghanistan and iraq. last year we spent a little over $150 billion. this year we'll spend a little over $100 billion. and the plan is to soon be down to at least $50 billion in two or three years. so over the ten-year period there'll be about eight years at nearly $50 billion or so spent on the war instead of $150 billion. that's part of the plan that we've been operating on for a long time. $150 billion for the war is not baseline expenditure of the united states. it was never projected to continue at that level, so hopefully we could bring it below $50 billion. maybe we went get to $50 billion. i don't know. but what is the reasonable estimate? i think the house republicans and the president said it would drop to $50 billion, and that would be the baseline out there for the rest of the time. that's $1 trillion. that's $1 trillion. so you take $1 trillion out of the $2.7 trillion, you're down to $1.7 trillion. and another thing that's scored in that, since that $1 trillion in war costs is score
part -- the other factor is that we are now drawing down the cost of our military efforts in afghanistan and iraq. last year we spent a little over $150 billion. this year we'll spend a little over $100 billion. and the plan is to soon be down to at least $50 billion in two or three years. so over the ten-year period there'll be about eight years at nearly $50 billion or so spent on the war instead of $150 billion. that's part of the plan that we've been operating on for a long time. $150...
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Jul 18, 2011
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ira paychecks for troops in the afghanistan and iraq and bases around the world would stop. the faa could shut down. so could the fbi and the cia ant border crossings could close.foa safety inspections of food americans eat and cargo that enters our ports could hault. literally every function of sec government could seize. social security checks, payments to our veterans. no there would be no discussion on which operations personal or essential. all the payments would very likely. stopped. some have said we could prioritize which bills to pay. even if that would irreparably damage the nations reputation and the global economy and the global community which it would, is also a complete fiction. our government won't even behe able to cover the b bills due on august 3. it will simply run outun of monr and because we will be in default and our credit rating trash we will be able to borrow money -- even if we wanted to. bad is the picture secretary geithner panned and like if said it is graham. this understandagues this. they know what is kno at stake.t it is not blanket for sure
ira paychecks for troops in the afghanistan and iraq and bases around the world would stop. the faa could shut down. so could the fbi and the cia ant border crossings could close.foa safety inspections of food americans eat and cargo that enters our ports could hault. literally every function of sec government could seize. social security checks, payments to our veterans. no there would be no discussion on which operations personal or essential. all the payments would very likely. stopped. some...
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Sep 22, 2011
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service men and women in afghanistan. the following day secretary of state hillary clinton in a meeting with foreign minister carr also highlighted government support for this terrorist situation and its attack on men and women serving in uniform in afghanistan. on september 27 the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, admiral mullen in a presentation in front of the carnegie endowment for peace also highlighted pakistan's official government support for the i.s.i. and the haqqani network. in testimony today in the senate armed services committee, admiral mullen reiterated these claims, stating that the i.s.i. of pakistan's government had provided explicit support for an attack on the u.s. embassy in kabul and our nato headquarters. the haqqani network supported by the government of pakistan is also responsible for attacks on afghan and indian construction efforts in the kabul gardese road at an attack that killed seven c.i.a. employees and the kidnapping of british and american journalists. within pakistan, the haqqani
service men and women in afghanistan. the following day secretary of state hillary clinton in a meeting with foreign minister carr also highlighted government support for this terrorist situation and its attack on men and women serving in uniform in afghanistan. on september 27 the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, admiral mullen in a presentation in front of the carnegie endowment for peace also highlighted pakistan's official government support for the i.s.i. and the haqqani network. in...
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May 2, 2011
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president obama insisted that we refocus on afghanistan and pakistan as the center of battlefields in our fight against terrorism. there was tremendous military, diplomatic and economic efforts are the reason we woke up this morning to the world that is no longer home to osama bin laden. the end of his life is not the end of the fight. yesterday's operation is indeed a measure of justice. it is only one measure of justice. it absolutely is a definitive victory but it does not define absolute victory. america welcomes the success of our fellow citizens' extraordinary mission. even as we breathe a sigh of relief, though, we're not relieved of our duty to be vigilant, to be persistent and defeat our enemy and to make our nation stronger. the leader of al qaeda is gone but his organization is not. we know our enemy is widespread and motivated. the truth is it may be more motivated today than it was yesterday. our troops continue to fight. our intelligence professionals continue to work. their families continue to sacrifice. we continue to support all of them and support each other. we als
president obama insisted that we refocus on afghanistan and pakistan as the center of battlefields in our fight against terrorism. there was tremendous military, diplomatic and economic efforts are the reason we woke up this morning to the world that is no longer home to osama bin laden. the end of his life is not the end of the fight. yesterday's operation is indeed a measure of justice. it is only one measure of justice. it absolutely is a definitive victory but it does not define absolute...
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Nov 17, 2011
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s in afghanistan. a related provision would provide enhanced audit authority to assist in the enforcement of this provision. it authorizes over $13 billion for new construction of critical facility projects that have a direct impact on the readiness and operations of our military while also providing much-needed construction jobs in a struggling economy. in contrast to these enhams and new authorities, the committee also had to make some very difficult decisions. the president's budget request of $553 billion was cut by nearly $27 billion in recognition of the difficult budget situation our country faces. these difficult funding reductions include $10 billion cut in the operation and maintenance accounts for the military services used to fund readiness and training activities. this was done mainly by scaling back the growth in service contracts while also reducing serp accounts for daily operating activities and training. a $9.8 billion cut in defense procurement accounts for programs that had more mon
s in afghanistan. a related provision would provide enhanced audit authority to assist in the enforcement of this provision. it authorizes over $13 billion for new construction of critical facility projects that have a direct impact on the readiness and operations of our military while also providing much-needed construction jobs in a struggling economy. in contrast to these enhams and new authorities, the committee also had to make some very difficult decisions. the president's budget request...
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Sep 13, 2011
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embassy in afghanistan. her comments came at the beginning of this news conference, releasing a updated congressional mandated report on religious freedom around the world. later assistant secretary of state michael posner and international ambassador for religious freedom susan cook johnson took questions from reporters. this is about 35 minutes. >> good morning, everyone. here with me today are michael posner, our assistant secretary for democracy, human rights and labor. suzanne johnson cook, our ambassador at large for international religious freedom and members of their teams. they will brief you on our efforts to promote religious freedom and we'll take your questions afterwards. before i begin, on this important topic i want to address the situation in afghanistan where there was an attack on our embassy in kabul today. it appears that a number of afghan civilians have been hurt and we of course will do all we can to assist them. there are no reports of casualties among embassy personnel at this time.
embassy in afghanistan. her comments came at the beginning of this news conference, releasing a updated congressional mandated report on religious freedom around the world. later assistant secretary of state michael posner and international ambassador for religious freedom susan cook johnson took questions from reporters. this is about 35 minutes. >> good morning, everyone. here with me today are michael posner, our assistant secretary for democracy, human rights and labor. suzanne...
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May 17, 2011
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when i was in llc we did recommend the president as a political matter getpr approval for afghanistan and iraq and there's this weird phenomenon where the congress asked us to draft the statute for them authorizing the wars in afghanistan and iraq and then i would, that not happened in the house.af only happened in the senate. when i went around and visited senators the major theme i heard why are you making us vote on this? they didn't want to vote on a the iraq war if they could help it. so i think the president actually more often than not would like to get congressional approval.t i'm sure president obama would love to get congressional approval for libya. he can't get it. congress's politicalca incentives they don't wantti to vote on for the reasons mr. goss gave. vietnam, i'm not sure, many people criticize as war powers today who think vietnam was constitutional becausenk of gulf of tonken resolution. many people say lyndon johnson lied to get congressd to pass a statute.o but congress passed thee. statute. every year there were significant increases in the military voted by co
when i was in llc we did recommend the president as a political matter getpr approval for afghanistan and iraq and there's this weird phenomenon where the congress asked us to draft the statute for them authorizing the wars in afghanistan and iraq and then i would, that not happened in the house.af only happened in the senate. when i went around and visited senators the major theme i heard why are you making us vote on this? they didn't want to vote on a the iraq war if they could help it. so i...
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Apr 7, 2011
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i've been with some of those troops in iraq and afghanistan. they have enough on their mind. they have enough that they face every single hour of every single day and especially every single night to not have the added worry will our families be able to pay their bills. and i worry, as cochair of the national guard caucus, i worry especially for the vermont national guard troops who are currently forward deployed to locations around the world. many of them come from small towns and cities of vermont. they face these very fears. and shutting down the governme government, an ideologically motivated faction in country is willing to breach our fundamental pact with these men and women. we have always said protect our nations overseas and we'll protect your loved ones at home. who can justify violating that fact with the men and women in uniform? some in congress are already seeking cover, claiming they've put forward plans to fund the pentagon and our troops. but, of course, even these transparent political ploys, we're not paying many of our intelligence personnel, our brave and
i've been with some of those troops in iraq and afghanistan. they have enough on their mind. they have enough that they face every single hour of every single day and especially every single night to not have the added worry will our families be able to pay their bills. and i worry, as cochair of the national guard caucus, i worry especially for the vermont national guard troops who are currently forward deployed to locations around the world. many of them come from small towns and cities of...
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Mar 17, 2011
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i've been to afghanistan. i have not been in caves in afghanistan, but i have visited our troops there. i've heard their stories. i have seen pictures and read enough books to know the frightening thousands of miles of caves and crevices that our soldiers are having to go into to hunt down osama bin laden, who still has not been found and captured, and to project our forces overseas. we have been in some ways as a nation kind of caught off guard, mr. president, about the terrorist attacks and military strategies using explosive devices. and i guess we knew that this could be a tactic, but honestly, we did not have what we needed to protect our troops to win the battles. and so this program steps up and says, okay, this is what we need. let's go out and see who's got the best technology. instead of spending billions and billions and millions and millions of dollars giving a contract to a big company and getting them to go through all the rigmarole to develop it, it's kind of an off-the-shelf technology almost e
i've been to afghanistan. i have not been in caves in afghanistan, but i have visited our troops there. i've heard their stories. i have seen pictures and read enough books to know the frightening thousands of miles of caves and crevices that our soldiers are having to go into to hunt down osama bin laden, who still has not been found and captured, and to project our forces overseas. we have been in some ways as a nation kind of caught off guard, mr. president, about the terrorist attacks and...
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Mar 8, 2011
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and we're still in afghanistan, another $1 trillion which we also borrowed. now we have these deficits that we have to pay off. deficits caused by wars that did nothing to improve our security, did nothing to create innovation, did nothing to create -- to minimize the transportation difficulties we have in our country, did nothing to decrease our reliance on foreign oil and other energy, did nothing to allow us to innovate where we could become not only energy-independent ourselves but export to the rest of the world the products we created. the day will come when historians and our children and our grandchildren will look and say, what were you thinking of? what were you thinking of? because what that has done, aside from wasting the surpluses that we had, what it has done is created problems perhaps for generations to come. and the united states, the wealthiest, most powerful nation on earth, at least for the moment, has suffered grievously. now, there are some things we can do right. american ingenuity and innovation have been a cornerstone of the american
and we're still in afghanistan, another $1 trillion which we also borrowed. now we have these deficits that we have to pay off. deficits caused by wars that did nothing to improve our security, did nothing to create innovation, did nothing to create -- to minimize the transportation difficulties we have in our country, did nothing to decrease our reliance on foreign oil and other energy, did nothing to allow us to innovate where we could become not only energy-independent ourselves but export...
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Feb 14, 2011
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if you look at the spending for iraq and afghanistan, they're not in the base defense budget. they're in the overseas contingency operations budget. and these actually come down considerably in 2012. because of the withdrawal of troops from iraq, and if you look at the savings in that area, overall spending in defense goes down by more than 5%. now, we're not going to be able to get back into the kind of sustainable situation that we need to just by cutting discretionary spending. the budget looks at other areas as well. it looks at mandatory spending and it looks at revenue. i would like to highlight a couple of areas where we have savings in those parts of the budget. every year for the past many years action has been taken in two areas. one, the alternative minimum tax where there's a bipartisan consensus that middle class taxpayers shouldn't fall under the alternative minimum tax. another is the in medicare where there is a bipartisan consensus that we shouldn't cut what we pay doctors in the medicare program by almost 30% because if we did they might stop treating medicar
if you look at the spending for iraq and afghanistan, they're not in the base defense budget. they're in the overseas contingency operations budget. and these actually come down considerably in 2012. because of the withdrawal of troops from iraq, and if you look at the savings in that area, overall spending in defense goes down by more than 5%. now, we're not going to be able to get back into the kind of sustainable situation that we need to just by cutting discretionary spending. the budget...
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Oct 3, 2011
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and -- in iraq or afghanistan. others are victims of torture or human trafficking whose injuries are so severe that they're now unable to sustain themselves without these benefits. the bill continues the bush administration policy of making sure that this vulnerable group does not lose their benefits, but unlike past bills the second key fact about this bill is that it's fully paid for. it's paid for by imposing a $30 fee on individuals applying to enter the country through the diversity visa lottery program. each year hundreds of thousands of people apply to be one of the 50,000 individuals allowed to emigrate to the united states, and the program has had great success. i've been supportive of it. and it's also enriched the american fabric with immigrants from countries not traditionally represented in the immigrant pool. but unfortunately, because applying for a lottery ticket has been traditionally free, the program has recently been compromised by third parties filing applications on behalf of unknowing foreign
and -- in iraq or afghanistan. others are victims of torture or human trafficking whose injuries are so severe that they're now unable to sustain themselves without these benefits. the bill continues the bush administration policy of making sure that this vulnerable group does not lose their benefits, but unlike past bills the second key fact about this bill is that it's fully paid for. it's paid for by imposing a $30 fee on individuals applying to enter the country through the diversity visa...
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tens of thousands of our brave citizens, soldiers are serving in iraq, afghanistan and other regions, and taken together, they make up nearly -1/2 of our nations military strength. they also respond to national disasters, humanitarian crises from 9/11 to hurricane katrina, to areas in need around the world. they answer the call under your leadership. as a military mom, i know what a difference it makes when individuals or groups reach out to show support to servicemembers and their families. i have seen through my work with small grassroots organizations at home called delaware boots on the ground, that community groups can make a huge difference. where a military family in delaware has a need, we try to mediate. whether it is physical labor or repairs around the house, a fun night out for the kids, or other simple ways individuals, businesses and groups can support a family through a deployment. there are small and effective groups like this all over the country, like one in minnesota that collects top rand hockey equipment for military children or the barbecue lovers in ohio bats tr
tens of thousands of our brave citizens, soldiers are serving in iraq, afghanistan and other regions, and taken together, they make up nearly -1/2 of our nations military strength. they also respond to national disasters, humanitarian crises from 9/11 to hurricane katrina, to areas in need around the world. they answer the call under your leadership. as a military mom, i know what a difference it makes when individuals or groups reach out to show support to servicemembers and their families. i...
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Jul 26, 2011
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the american people would begin to recognize these savings from withdrawing from iraq and afghanistan. and essential education, job creation, housing, and environmental investments where america's economic recovery and for our strong economic future would be protected from the slashing cuts proposed by the house republicans. the irony is, republican leaders previously have backed all the spending reductions called for in leader reid's plan. now, i don't agree -- and i suspect all of us don't agree with all aspects of this proposed solution. but we're not going to have 100 solutions on this floor. we're going to have one that we can vote on. i wish this would have included new revenue, especially by ending such costly and outdated tax benefits as those still enjoyed by the biggest oil companies to help us pay off our debt even more quickly. i'd like to help pay for the debt incurred by the inexcusable earlier decisions to enter two wars without paying for them. and i continue to believe the surcharge for the wealthiest would mean that they would pay more of their fair share after so ma
the american people would begin to recognize these savings from withdrawing from iraq and afghanistan. and essential education, job creation, housing, and environmental investments where america's economic recovery and for our strong economic future would be protected from the slashing cuts proposed by the house republicans. the irony is, republican leaders previously have backed all the spending reductions called for in leader reid's plan. now, i don't agree -- and i suspect all of us don't...
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Jun 21, 2011
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and, in fact, only iraq in 2003, afghanistan in 2001 and iraq in 1990 were authorized prior to our engagement. the fact is that four of those that i mentioned ended before the 60 days had expired, but the others didn't. bosnia, kosovo and somalia all went beyond 60 days, and the issue was never raised. so i think it's important for us to put this in a context, if you will, and to measure some of the realities of the choices that we face with respect to libya today. we will shortly this morning, a little later, be introducing this resolution. it is a bipartisan resolution, democrats and republicans joining together to put in a very limited authorization with respect to our engagement in a support role, not any directing agent but a support role only, and it is limited to that support role. now, mr. president, i am particularly familiar with the debate and with the war powers act itself over these years because that was a debate that took place specifically in response to the war that senator mccain and i were both part of, the vietnam war. the war powers act was a direct reaction to that war w
and, in fact, only iraq in 2003, afghanistan in 2001 and iraq in 1990 were authorized prior to our engagement. the fact is that four of those that i mentioned ended before the 60 days had expired, but the others didn't. bosnia, kosovo and somalia all went beyond 60 days, and the issue was never raised. so i think it's important for us to put this in a context, if you will, and to measure some of the realities of the choices that we face with respect to libya today. we will shortly this morning,...
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Oct 31, 2011
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chamber of commerce and labor unions, afghanistan afghanistan so so rarely -- alf/cio rarely agree on anything but they agree on this. we should improve the he wouldful state of america's infrastructure. it's not only labor and business groups, it's transit officials, mayors and 3/4 of the american people, actually 76%, mr. president. senate republicans have supported big aspects of this in the past. i could quote a dozen of my senate republican colleagues who have spoken out in supporting the infrastructure investments. one very recently. so why aren't they lining up to support our proposal today? two basic reasons. one, republicans are determined to see president obama fail, even if it means americans fail with him. sad but true. my colleague, the republican leader, has said his number-one goal in this congress is to defeat president obama. they would rather see the americans that are struggling so hard to find work than work together. they would rather see the americans continue to struggle as i've outlined how many people are struggle, they would rather do that than work together
chamber of commerce and labor unions, afghanistan afghanistan so so rarely -- alf/cio rarely agree on anything but they agree on this. we should improve the he wouldful state of america's infrastructure. it's not only labor and business groups, it's transit officials, mayors and 3/4 of the american people, actually 76%, mr. president. senate republicans have supported big aspects of this in the past. i could quote a dozen of my senate republican colleagues who have spoken out in supporting the...
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Sep 7, 2011
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footprint in afghanistan and iraq makes sense. when you add up all these missions, intelligence gathering, training, embed embedding, force protection -- mr. mccain: are you leaving out the necessity for the piecekeeping in the american -- between the kurdish areas? mr. graham: that's a very good point and that's exactly where i was going to take this. that requires a footprint of thousands. we don't need 25,000 but i think 10,000 when you add it up is probably the bare minimum to do this the because the commander who is policing the kurdish-arab dispute boundary line in the northern part of iraq, they've come up with a very novel approach and i want to give the administration credit and the military credit. they've taken the basically kurdish militia, integrated them with iraqi national security forces and american forces to form companies, eventually go to brigades where they'll get to know each other, work together as a team and i think any neutral observer would tell you that our presence has prevented a shooting conflict in t
footprint in afghanistan and iraq makes sense. when you add up all these missions, intelligence gathering, training, embed embedding, force protection -- mr. mccain: are you leaving out the necessity for the piecekeeping in the american -- between the kurdish areas? mr. graham: that's a very good point and that's exactly where i was going to take this. that requires a footprint of thousands. we don't need 25,000 but i think 10,000 when you add it up is probably the bare minimum to do this the...
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May 9, 2011
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afghanistan, pakistan, wherever else they may be? in the united states? it's not a practical policy, because you have to tell the individuals who are making the apprehension what the rules are. and as the attorney general said, they still adhere to the view that the presumption is that the individual will be tried in civilian court. therefore, the presumption is that within a short time of their being taken into custody, they should be given miranda warnings, offered a lawyer and set for a preliminary court appearance, which could reveal to all the other terrorists exactly that their partner in war has been captured. and allow them to escape. so it's just a wrong view. and why they persist in this is beyond my understanding. congress understands it. the american people do also. this administration has established a policy that declares there is a presumption of civilian trials and -- but has -- and has failed to articulate a clear policy for designating captured terrorists as enemy combatants or criminals. so i'm -- i remain very unconvinced that the next
afghanistan, pakistan, wherever else they may be? in the united states? it's not a practical policy, because you have to tell the individuals who are making the apprehension what the rules are. and as the attorney general said, they still adhere to the view that the presumption is that the individual will be tried in civilian court. therefore, the presumption is that within a short time of their being taken into custody, they should be given miranda warnings, offered a lawyer and set for a...
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Mar 14, 2011
03/11
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president, when we invaded iraq and afghanistan trying to run our tank in places that were extremely hot. the radiators that we had designed were not sufficient, and we were running into a serious equipment challenge. it was the small business, this small business at l.s.u. with the help of the university that began to develop new kinds of technologies that now can be used for our military. but it also has potential for significant commercial application potentially in the race car industry, or potentially in the general automotive industry. that's an example of how technologies needed for a specific problem that the federal government's having responded to by small business -- not a big company, a small company and new technologies can create the new radiators of the future. so, small businesses are key to putting americans back to work. they are the innovators. in fact, small businesses account for 13 times more patents than large businesses. and small businesses employ almost 40% of american scientists and engineers. studies show sbir-backed firms have been responsible for roughly
president, when we invaded iraq and afghanistan trying to run our tank in places that were extremely hot. the radiators that we had designed were not sufficient, and we were running into a serious equipment challenge. it was the small business, this small business at l.s.u. with the help of the university that began to develop new kinds of technologies that now can be used for our military. but it also has potential for significant commercial application potentially in the race car industry, or...
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124
Mar 3, 2011
03/11
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CSPAN2
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eye 124
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for the air force to buy unmanned aerial vehicles t to -- vehicles, supply combat air patrols over afghanistan, the fighting there will not be halted until we do so. if we do not act to provide the $150 million that has been requested to meet the very specific and urgent requirements of our special forces, we will be failing those who are truly on the frontlines. secretary gates has made it clear -- military readiness will suffer because of fewer flying hours for our pilots, fewer steaming days for our ships, and cutbacks in training for home stationed forces. a full-year c.r. will also delay much-needed modernization of our military equipment. this would come at a time when our navy is at its smallest size since 1916 and at a time when the aircraft in our air force inventory are older than at any time since the air force was created. the navy will not be able to procure a second virginia class submarine nor ddg-51 destroyer needed to keep costs down and to achieve the minimum size flee fleet -- 313 ships -- that the navy has stated is the absolute minimum. operating under a full-year c.r. als
for the air force to buy unmanned aerial vehicles t to -- vehicles, supply combat air patrols over afghanistan, the fighting there will not be halted until we do so. if we do not act to provide the $150 million that has been requested to meet the very specific and urgent requirements of our special forces, we will be failing those who are truly on the frontlines. secretary gates has made it clear -- military readiness will suffer because of fewer flying hours for our pilots, fewer steaming days...
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Jul 27, 2011
07/11
by
CSPAN2
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eye 82
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forces in iraq and afghanistan, saving $1 trillion in the process. our troops in the middle east deserve our admiration and praise for so successfully carrying out their missions. we must, however, continue to press for a strategy that will bring our troops home as soon as we safely can. the reid deficit plan would find an additional $40 billion in savings by cutting fraud and abuse in tax compliance and a number of non-defense federal programs and $60 billion in other savings, including cutting unnecessary spending on agricultural subsidies and auctioning off electromagnetic spectrum that the government currently holds. finally, by cutting the government by over $2 trillion, we'll have to borrow less money than anticipated and that will save an additional $400 million -- sorry, $400 billion in projected interest costs. in total, the senate democratic plan on which we will vote would cut the deficits by $2.7 trillion over the next ten years. while senator reid's proposal would not address the tax gimmicks and loopholes throughout our tax code that he
forces in iraq and afghanistan, saving $1 trillion in the process. our troops in the middle east deserve our admiration and praise for so successfully carrying out their missions. we must, however, continue to press for a strategy that will bring our troops home as soon as we safely can. the reid deficit plan would find an additional $40 billion in savings by cutting fraud and abuse in tax compliance and a number of non-defense federal programs and $60 billion in other savings, including...
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Jan 3, 2011
01/11
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eye 154
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two months later i was on the ground in afghanistan. as i said in those four years as i went around my district, the u.s. navy was on the ground in afghanistan, we don't read liberals. we don't breed conservatives. we breed problems are worse. someone who can put all ideas on the table to try to come up with a dramatic -- pragmatic solution. then at some of you know i was asked to run against the republican senator in our district, and i said no. i want more time with my daughter. and then agreed after two months, and then republican became a democrat. and then the party said no, joe, we don't want you. and so for a while there as i thought through it, i was about to go back to my affiliation of independent, because i went around the counties to try to decide whether to get in once the party said they change their mind. and i was really taken by how angry and how upset everyone was. and i was just speaking to democrats. and they wanted to hold someone accountable. but i decided to still run as a democrat. and the last word i would like
two months later i was on the ground in afghanistan. as i said in those four years as i went around my district, the u.s. navy was on the ground in afghanistan, we don't read liberals. we don't breed conservatives. we breed problems are worse. someone who can put all ideas on the table to try to come up with a dramatic -- pragmatic solution. then at some of you know i was asked to run against the republican senator in our district, and i said no. i want more time with my daughter. and then...
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94
Jul 22, 2011
07/11
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eye 94
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awareness of other aspect of the media and those who acknowledge currently we have soldiers fighting in afghanistan and people don't seem to forget that. i would not say any prime minister is not fighting for the right people. continues to fight for the right people. >> how would any of those prime ministers ask as editor or chief executive how often or would they ever ask you not to publish a story? would they ask you to spike a story? would that happen? >> i can't remember an occasion of prime minister asked that. >> politicians generally do that? >> no. i can remember many occasions when a cabinet minister or politician or prime minister was very unhappy with stories we were running and -- not that they would ask us not to. >> if they had you would have been interested anyway? >> if the story was true and accurate, no reason for a prime minister -- that is why we have a free press. >> final question. still a feeling that in some way you had a close relationship with the prime minister. the allegation seems to be is no different -- the benefit of what people need to see. you have a close relation
awareness of other aspect of the media and those who acknowledge currently we have soldiers fighting in afghanistan and people don't seem to forget that. i would not say any prime minister is not fighting for the right people. continues to fight for the right people. >> how would any of those prime ministers ask as editor or chief executive how often or would they ever ask you not to publish a story? would they ask you to spike a story? would that happen? >> i can't remember an...
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Jun 29, 2011
06/11
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CSPAN2
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eye 82
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on defense spending, particularly the issue of contractors and waste, fraud, and abuse in iraq and afghanistan. it is unbelievable, the american people can go to the internet and see the results of those hearings. it's just unbelievable the amount of waste, fraud, and abuse. let's cut some of that out of the defense budget, just as an example. bailiff we have callers lining up to talk to you. before we get there, i want to -- you mention at the top, part time senior policy advisory at the law enforcement. do you have any clients that have something at stake? >> guest: i don't. i'm not lobbying. i'm working an a wide range of things, including business consulting here and other parts of the world. i don't have any clients dealing with these issues. >> host: what issues are you dealing with for clients? what are your focuses? >> guest: as i said, a lot of issues working with businesses that are doing business in china and, you know, just a wide range of issues. >> host: all right. stephen, democratic caller in texas. >> caller: thank you for having me on. this is an honor, senator. you are a rea
on defense spending, particularly the issue of contractors and waste, fraud, and abuse in iraq and afghanistan. it is unbelievable, the american people can go to the internet and see the results of those hearings. it's just unbelievable the amount of waste, fraud, and abuse. let's cut some of that out of the defense budget, just as an example. bailiff we have callers lining up to talk to you. before we get there, i want to -- you mention at the top, part time senior policy advisory at the law...
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Feb 7, 2011
02/11
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eye 194
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[applause] >> since 2001, when our homeland was attacked, 77 of our people have died in iraq and afghanistan, and over 400 of our people have been wounded. the bond between america and the indian nations is not in doubt. we remain united, and in a new era we will build a more perfect union together. tosses go into the water and the ripples can be felt far away. in the same way, the decisions before us today will be felt in tribal life for seven generations, and beyond. tribal governments understand that washington is entering more than a time of difficult budget choices. congress and the administration are contemplating fundamental changes in the promises -- in the priorities of government. this is a challenge, but any people in any nations have faced challenges forever. our nation to nation relationship presents a unique responsibility and great opportunity. and that is the gateway to a new era of opportunity and self-reliance. today, we call on our federal partners to clear the way for us to expand economic opportunity through entrepreneurism, so that we might compete. clear the way for us
[applause] >> since 2001, when our homeland was attacked, 77 of our people have died in iraq and afghanistan, and over 400 of our people have been wounded. the bond between america and the indian nations is not in doubt. we remain united, and in a new era we will build a more perfect union together. tosses go into the water and the ripples can be felt far away. in the same way, the decisions before us today will be felt in tribal life for seven generations, and beyond. tribal governments...